Please Bite Something
by Princess-Sparkly-Swirls
Summary: Modern AU variation - When Jane and Charles announce their engagement (yay!) William Darcy finally finds out who Jane's sister is. And he instantly doesn't like her. Elizabeth thinks he's a stick in the mud and some other choice words. Will they overcome their past and their differences for the sake of their friends and family? Probably, but not without some awkward situations.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: So it's been years since I've published something and I thought it was time to get back on the horse again. This is my first foray into JAFF territory, and I'm rather excited about it!_  
 _I've had this particular idea for a while. It's a modern P &P variation. It will follow the canon, but not too closely (hence the variation) I'm taking liberties to make it all fit. It follows the general thorough line of the original, so don't worry that it's going to wildly spin off. That only happens in the beginning then we'll get back on track.  
I'm curious to see what everyone thinks!_

 _P.S. I don't have a beta, so all mistakes are mine._

 _Disclaimer (for old times sake): I don't own anything. I just play around with the characters a little_

* * *

 **Chapter One**

William Darcy was the king of holding grudges. He didn't hate a lot of people. He disliked many, sure, but hating people didn't often happen to him. However, once that hate struck, it was very hard to let go of, if it happened at all.

So when Elizabeth Bennet walked into the pub one Friday afternoon, he automatically gritted his teeth and balled his fists. He hoped she wouldn't come over. He doubted that she even remembered him. They had only met a handful of times and that was over half a decade ago. She was frowning as she looked around the room, but when her eyes fell on his group, her face lit up and started walking over.

Jane looked up from her conversation with Caroline and Charles when she approached. "Lizzy! You made it!"  
Elizabeth hugged her sister in greeting. "Sorry I'm late. I had a client meeting, it ran a little long."  
Charles got up and kissed her on the cheeks, "No biggie, we're just happy that you could make it."  
She nodded to Caroline somewhat coolly, who seemed to reciprocate the feeling, before her gaze landed on Will. He felt like he was engulfed by flames. He wanted to punch her. Instead he just breathed in deeply. Charles turned to him and said, "Let me make the introductions. I can't believe you guys haven't met yet!"

Elizabeth smiled at him. "So this is the mysterious jet setting best friend. I should've have guessed. Hey Will."  
He frowned, but nodded and said, "hey."  
Charles looked between the two of them. "I didn't know you guys knew each other."  
Elizabeth took the seat across from Will and shrugged out of her coat. "We met a few times when I was in college."  
Charles turned to him with an accusatory gaze. "Why did you never mention that?"  
Will turned to his friend. "I didn't know that Jane's sister Lizzy and Elizabeth were the same person."  
He wanted to say more, but Caroline put a hand on his arm and intercut. "Now that everyone is reacquainted, shall we get on with it?"

Elizabeth cast a sour glance in her direction and was about to say something when a waitress came over with 5 glasses of champagne. She raised a singular eyebrow at Charles and Jane, who were sitting next to each other and were looking quite excited. Jane handed everyone a glass and said, "So the announcement… Charles, do you want to do the honors?"  
"Yesterday, I asked this dear sweet creature to marry me and she said yes."

Immediately there was an eruption of noise and movement. There was kissing, clinking of glasses and admiring glances for the engagement ring. Well, Elizabeth and Will admired the ring. Caroline was thoroughly underwhelmed. "Really Charles, don't you think Jane deserved better?"  
He frowned at her, but Jane just said, "I think it's perfect."  
Caroline shrugged and said, before sipping her champagne, "I'm just saying, he could've afforded a diamond or two."

From the corner of his eye he saw Elizabeth roll her eyes. Will, secretly agreed with the gesture. The ring was a simple design of solid yellow gold and three sapphires. It was understated and classy and although he didn't know Jane extremely well, it suited her perfectly.  
"I think it's great," Elizabeth said and smiled at her sister, who beamed back beatifically.

Caroline, apparently deciding to ignore the whole mess said, "Have you guys decided on anything yet?"  
Her eyes shone. Will knew what that meant. She was going to take the first opportunity to inject some "taste" into the affair.  
Charles and Jane exchanged a glance and said, "We were hoping that Will would be the best man?"  
Will immediately perked up. "Yes of course!"  
"And Lizzy, will you be the maid of honour?"  
If synchronized facial expressions was an Olympic sport, Will and Caroline could've won gold.

* * *

Will made rapid strides away from the club, phone pressed fervently to his ear. His shirt was sticking to him in an uncomfortable fashion, but he didn't really care. The call switched over to voicemail. He pressed redial and tried again, still walking.

After about 30 seconds a groggy voice finally answered, "Will? What is it? Is it Gia?"  
"No," Will admitted dourly, slowing his pace.  
"If no one has died why are you calling me at 2 AM?"  
"I ran into someone today…"  
"That's great! About time! Is she hot?"  
Will rolled eyes. "It was Elizabeth Bennett."

A chuckled sounded from the other side. "Good for you! How's the old girl doing?"  
Will stared at his phone, perplexed. Finally he said, "I think she's good?"  
"Awesome. I'm going back to sleep."  
"No wait! Why are you so cavalier about this?"  
There was a silence. "What do you mean?"  
"I mean, I ran into your ex and you act like it's no big deal." A hot burning feeling started to rise in Will's throat.  
"Because… it isn't?"

The burning feeling was now engulfing his cheeks and part of his eyes. "What do you mean it isn't?! She broke your fucking heart!"  
Will heard some shuffling, and then, "Yeah, she did. But I broke hers too. Where do you get this idea that it was a hostile break up?"  
The feeling had now taken over Will's eyes and was rapidly reaching the top of head. "Because you were moping about it for months and you never talked about it!"

Will heard a soft 'oh'.  
Immediately the burning feeling turned cold in his stomach. It intensified when he heard, "Uhm, we wanted different things in life. Specifically I was sent to the Middle East and she wanted to stay here. That last year, we were already doing long distance, but it was just too hard."  
He stopped walking and leaned against a wall. He had the fleeting thought that he shouldn't do that, because it seemed like a prime spot for people to pee and or vomit on, but right now his emotions overwhelmed him too much to care about that sort of thing. He could always burn his clothes later.

"Oh no…" He breathed.  
"What?"  
"I may have made a huge mistake."

* * *

After the announcement, the quartet had dinner. Will was very quiet, trying to work out what to do about the Elizabeth situation. She tried to engage him a few times, but he really wasn't capable of putting on a false face. He answered monosyllabic or just grunted in response to her questions, in the hopes that that would be a deterrent. What he had forgotten about her though, was that she was famously stubborn. Most of the time Charles or Jane, and sometimes Caroline would intervene by steering the conversation away from Will. However, during the coffee she asked, "How's your cousin doing?"

He looked at her. Her round face was the picture of innocence. "He's fine. He's actually seeing someone at the moment."  
Elizabeth smiled, but he couldn't tell if it was forced or not. "That's awesome. What's she like?"  
"He is actually a culinary journalist."  
Will stared at her, for any clues. But she was still smiling and looking casual as ever. "I meant what type of person is he."  
"Oh you know, loud, impertinent, snazzy dresser."  
Elizabeth chuckled and leaned back, "Yeah, that sounds like Rick's type."  
"So, what venue do you think we should check out?" Jane asked rather loudly and the moment was over.

An hour after that, Will found himself in a club. Charles, with his puppy dog eyes and enthusiastic exclamations had convinced him despite his better judgement. Will wasn't a club guy, but this was a night of celebrations.  
They were joined by Lottie, a friend of the Bennett sisters, who was thrilled to hear the news of the engagement and to be asked as a bridesmaid. Will wanted to roll his eyes, but found that he really couldn't. It was unfortunate that he was going to be thrown together with this devil woman, but Charles was genuinely happy with Jane and Jane, despite her reserved nature, was clearly in love with the idiot. Will found he was actually joyful about the event and he felt honoured to be so included.

But that didn't mean he enjoyed dance clubs. They were loud, cramped and he didn't really like dancing all that much. At least, not the drunken jumping and swaying people considered dancing here. Instead, he was standing near the bar, watching the others, sipping on a vodka.  
"You know for such a happy occasion you really are a grouch!" Caroline said loudly into his ear. Will shrugged. "You know I don't like these places!"  
"You know what I mean!" Caroline pushed her long hair out of her face in a most dignified manner. "Are you not happy for dear Charles and Jane?"  
"I am!" He responded, before taking another sip.  
"You just have a problem with the sister." Will shot her an exasperated look. Caroline just chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not judging. She is a piece of work."

Will frowned at that, but Caroline didn't go into it. She had instead turned to the bartender and was ordering another drink. When she turned back around again, some orange concoction in hand, he asked, "What do you mean?"

Caroline shrugged, "Jane is great, but her entire family is so… small town. And brash."  
Will had a lot of opinions about Elizabeth, but she had never come across as particularly brash. Then again… "Her laugh is really loud."  
"For example."  
They stood together observing the merriment around them. Will was about to call it a night, when Caroline put down her empty glass and grabbed his hand. "Come on! One dance won't kill you!"  
He tried to fight it, but Caroline was stronger than she looked and pulled him to the dance floor.  
She didn't let him go for at least half an hour.

Around 11, Will was accosted in the hall near the bath rooms by Charles.  
"Hey man, are you having a good time?" Charles was leaning against the wall, like he had been waiting for Will to come out. He probably had.  
Will shrugged. "This isn't really my scene. I was thinking of going home."  
"Aw… come on! You barely danced! This is my engagement party!" Charles said with an enthusiastic grin on his face. Will put a finger in his ear to test if it still worked.  
"I am sure Caroline will throw you another one," He responded dourly.  
Charles, undeterred, shrugged, "Probably, but it won't be as much fun. That will be all canapés and awkward slide shows and embarrassing relatives."  
Will chuckled. Like Caroline would ever allow an awkward slide show. "I just don't feel comfortable."  
A hand appeared on his shoulder. "You should dance with one of the girls. I bet Lizzy could show you some moves. And you really should be a little nicer to her."

Will looked up and for once Charles' face was completely serious. Will bit his lip and said, "She's not exactly my type."  
Charles rolled his eyes. "What type is that? Funny, intelligent, very pretty?"  
Will didn't want to admit any of that. When he knew her before he had always found her intriguing with her dark hair that was actually a million different shades and her hazel eyes. When she talked to people she had a way of tilting her head that made it seem like she absorbed everything you said like a sponge. But that was then, and now she was an enemy.

"I suppose she's pretty, but she really is very crass." he finally managed.  
Charles shrugged, "You have impossibly high standards. No wonder you're still single. If you do leave, at least come say goodbye."  
Charles walked out of the hall. Behind Will he heard a door slam shut. When he turned around, Elizabeth was standing there with a red face. His stomach sunk and he didn't know why. Finally she shrugged and pushed past him back to the dance floor.

When he came out he saw her laughing with her friend Lottie and looking in his direction. He was glad the lighting was so dim, because he knew his cheeks were bright red. He didn't understand it. Sure he hadn't meant for her to hear that, but he also didn't like her and it's not like he had hidden his dislike of people before. Will looked around. He wanted to leave. But instead of doing the smart thing, he got a few more drinks instead.

He was slumped against the bar, a few hours later, when Elizabeth sidled up next to him. "So I'm crass, huh?"  
Will seriously considered denying it for a hot second, but what was the point? "Direct too."  
Elizabeth looked up at him. She wasn't a short woman, he was just very tall. "Anything else to complain about?"  
He sighed and said, "Listen I don't like you. But we're stuck together, so let's behave civilly."  
Elizabeth pursed her lips. In this light they looked rather seductive. Not that he was thinking about that. "You should listen to your own advice then."  
Will rolled his eyes, but didn't have a response.

"What is your problem with me anyway?"  
He had hoped she wouldn't ask, because it wouldn't end pretty. He would do his best to restrain himself. He breathed in and out a few times. "I don't like what you did to Rick."  
"What do you mean, 'what I did to Rick'? I didn't do anything to him." She looked genuinely confused, but Will had drunk too much to care a lot.  
"You broke his heart and stomped all over it."  
" _I_ broke his heart? Do you listen to what you're saying you ginormous ass clown?!" She was now standing in front of him, her finger poking in his chest.

He felt the something rising and wriggling beneath her finger, but he couldn't name it. "You are just a heartless bitch."  
Her face was all astonishment, but before she could respond he had walked out of the club.

* * *

 _A/N:_ _Thank you so much for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N:_ _Thank you so much for the great response so far! It was a little overwhelming to be honest. I'm so used to writing for fandoms that are either half dead or just not as interactive, so seeing my mailbox fill up with so many notification was really heartwarming and encouraging.  
_ _So as a thank you, here's chapter 2 a little early than planned. I hope it lives up to your current expectations!  
_ _Once again: unbeta's so all the mistakes are mine_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Elizabeth woke up with a strange, heavy object on her stomach. She tried to ignore it, because it could've been just a terrible capper to a pretty embarrassing and horrible evening. Then the object started to yell. It was a long drawn out _'meeeeeehw'_ sound that could only mean one thing. She cracked an eye open and saw the biggest cause of affection and misery; her cat Blanket. He scooted closer to her face and yelled again.

She sighed, looked at the alarm clock which announced it was just past 10 AM and tried to sit up. Blanket jumped to the floor and looked up expectantly. Unfortunately Lizzy couldn't pay him a lot of attention because the other house guest, her massive hangover, made its presence known. She sat completely still for a minute, trying to suppress the nausea and headache. When she felt a little better, she felt for the bottle of water on her night stand and gulped it down.

 _This is exactly why you shouldn't drink, Lizzy,_ she thought to herself sourly. Blanket let out another yell, this time from the kitchen. Slowly she got up, careful not to upset her head and shuffled to the kitchen. She turned on the oven and her coffeemaker and grabbed the bowl. Without really looking she shook kibble in it and placed it on the floor. When she got back up the dizziness was overwhelming, so she slumped in a kitchen chair. She had to wait for the oven anyway.

Morosely she thought over last night. She was mad at Mr. Darcy (she was _not_ going to humanize him with his first name), but she was also a little mad at herself. Alcohol made her too impulsive. She should've just let the comment go and laugh about it with Lottie, which is really what she had planned to do, but instead she confronted him and caused a big dang scene in front of everyone. Ugh, asshole.

The oven light clicked off and with the grace of a drunken dockworker she tossed in a few sausage rolls. She'd feel better once she had some food and caffeine in her. In the corner Blanket was happily chowing away.  
"You don't think I'm a heartless bitch do you?"  
Blanket just let out a 'prp.' She supposed it was better than nothing.

After breakfast Lizzy took a shower and went over the to do list of the day, which basically consisted of 'go to parents house' and 'ponder what to do about the bridesmaid situation'.  
She had wanted to bow out immediately, but really that would let Darcy win and she couldn't allow that. Aside from apparently aggravating him, she hadn't really done anything wrong. Also, she had a feeling that if she didn't do it, Caroline would somehow persuade the happy couple to let her take up the mantle. For some reason she had expected it anyway. Probably because she was a 'PR guru' and 'she knew all the best people didn't you know,' blah blah blah, absolute gag.

Elizabeth turned off the water and felt around for a towel. While she toweled herself dry a thought came to her. Maybe she could just hash this out with Darcy and neither Charles and Jane would ever know about it. There was only a small problem; she didn't have Darcy's number. Elizabeth contemplated asking either Charles or Jane, but they might want to know why and she wasn't known to be an excellent liar. She could also ask Caroline (gag) or… Rick. She hadn't spoken to him in a bit and he might think she was hitting on his cousin, which felt a little weird and awkward. Then again, Rick apparently was dating someone so why should he care if she was dating his cousin. It wasn't like he wasn't a hideous goblin man. He was reasonably attractive and intelligent and if he did his best he could be fu-.

 _No! Bad Lizzy! Mad! Stay mad! He called you a heartless bitch not 24 hours ago!_

Automatically her fingers clenched. He really had outgrown his fun time self and was now a grade A douche, who apparently thought it was fine to yell at her in a club.

She got dressed in her most comfortable jeans and t-shirt and slumped back on her bed. Her eyes closed and her last thought before falling back asleep was, _let future Lizzy deal with this._

* * *

The subway cart was stuffy, but relatively empty. Apparently no one was going to the ass end of nowhere on a Saturday afternoon, except for Jane and Elizabeth.  
Elizabeth leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes. If Jane was judging, Elizabeth didn't want to see it and Jane was far too gracious to mention it.

The train had left the city and was now chugging through an extended stretch of fields, right alongside a highway. Elizabeth frowned. The sun, now unblocked by buildings was shining right in her eyes.  
"We can move seats, if you're really bothered," Jane said. Elizabeth shook her head and turned her back to the window.  
"Nah, we're about to hit on that stretch of trees, so I should be fine."  
Jane nodded and turned back to her phone. Elizabeth studied her for a moment. For someone who had stayed out late the night before, Jane looked like she had just returned from a trip to the country. Her skin was flawless and dewy, she had absolutely no bags under her eyes and her hair was hanging in well behaved tresses off her shoulders.

Elizabeth on the other hand had all the markers of someone who was very tired and her hair was staticky and jumping in all directions. But if she had wanted her hair to do something normal, she shouldn't have fallen asleep with wet hair. She stared out of the window again, now that the sun had disappeared behind the trees.

"Lizzy…"  
"Hmmm?"  
"Is it true that Will called you crass?"  
Elizabeth bit her lip. She really didn't want to deal with it today. This was supposed to be Future Lizzy's problem! A traitorous little voice in her head said, _technically you are Future Lizzy_. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and instead she tried to scramble for a strategy.  
"Lizzy..." Jane's voice was a little exasperated.  
"Yes, he did," Elizabeth admitted calmly, although on her lap her fingers had curled hard into her palms.

"Is that what your fight was about?" Jane asked with a frown.  
That took Elizabeth by surprise. She had thought that Jane had been thoroughly distracted with dancing and happiness. "You know about that?"  
Jane just stared at her blankly. "We saw Will storm off and you looked like you could fell entire armies."

"Ah,"  
"So is that what the fight was about?" Jane asked again.  
Elizabeth rubbed her hands on her jeans. "Yes."  
Jane nodded thoughtfully and stared at the ceiling for a moment. "Is that the only thing you had a fight about?"

Elizabeth cringed. Damn Jane and her persistence! It was a characteristic that she always somehow forgot about. Jane was such a kind and pleasant person that it seemed easy to place her in the 'pushover' category.

Elizabeth chanced a look at Jane, who was staring back. "He blamed me for the break up with Rick and called me a heartless bitch."  
Jane frowned and rubbed one of her cheeks. "You said that was a mutual thing."  
"Because it was!" The words echoed around the cart. A quick look around showed that no one paid them any mind.

"Then why would he do that?"  
"Because he's a douche," Elizabeth declared quickly, in a much lower voice.  
"Or could it be a misunderstanding?" This was classic Jane, always trying to come up with an explanation that made everyone look good. For once Elizabeth didn't like it. She just wanted her sister on her side.  
"I'm not saying what he did was okay," Jane hastily added, "But that doesn't sound like the Will I know."

Elizabeth shrugged. She wasn't going to admit to the fact that she had rather liked Darcy once upon a time and that his behaviour last night did seem incongruent.  
Jane looked at her phone again and started typing out a message. After a minute she said, "Charles will talk to Will about it."

Elizabeth perked up. This perfect reason had presented itself. "I think I should talk to Darcy."  
Jane let out a chuckle, but quieted when she saw her sister's face. "Do you think that's a good idea?"  
"I'm not going to murder him. But we're going to have to work together right? So we might as well hash this out now. I don't want to ruin anything for you and Charles. Besides, Charles is like… the nicest guy ever and probably wouldn't give him a stern talking to."

Jane tapped a finger against her lips and said, "First off, you'd be surprised. Second, I appreciate you're willing to try to be civil. Just promise you won't murder him?"  
Elizabeth chuckled. "I'll pinkie swear it if you want me to."

* * *

Coming home was always a hassle and the hassle was enlarged by the fact that neither of the sisters had informed their parents. This meant that they would have to take a 45 minute bus ride, because the Bennett House was situated on the wrong side of Meryton. In the summer the bus was better called a mobile oven, because although they were outfitted with AC's, they didn't work very well. When Jane and Elizabeth finally walked through the back gate, they were both covered in sweat and vaguely cranky.

They were surprised to find that neither of their parents were outside. The usual flock of chickens were aimlessly pecking at the ground. The yard was a rather large piece of land divided into three sections. On the right hand corner was the barn and the field with the goats. In the middle were two picnic tables, meant for lounging around. On the left side was their mother's vegetable garden.

Usually, especially in weather like this, both parents would station themselves in the garden. Papa would be reading a book and mama would either be on the phone with her friends or reading a magazine.

"Do you think they're home?" Elizabeth asked.  
Jane looked around. "The backdoor is open."  
Elizabeth chuckled and said, "That's no indication. They forget to close that all the time."

Jane smiled and shrugged. "It's a lot cooler here than in the city, so we might as well hang out for a bit."  
Elizabeth couldn't help but agree. They went inside the house, through the narrow hallway that was filled with shelving units and bottles of soda and immediately made a beeline for the kitchen. Fanny Bennett looked up from her cutting board. Her first expression was that of vague annoyance, but she immediately shoved that aside in favour of the feeling of a pleasant surprise. "Well look who it is!"

She put down the knife, wiped off her hands and kissed her daughters in turn. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"  
Elizabeth and Jane shared a quick glance. "Uh, where's dad?"  
Fanny frowned and said, "In the living room. Lydia just got back from her trip. What's going on?"  
Jane smiled and said, "Only good news, but I want to tell everyone together."  
Fanny's eyes dropped to her cutting board and said, "Okay. Do you girls want anything to drink first? Lizzy, you look like you need coffee."  
Elizabeth smiled at her mother. "Coffee sounds great, but I'll put the pot on for you."  
Fanny smiled back and continued cutting the head of lettuce she had been working on.

Once everyone was settled in the living room, after being greeted happily by Nick Bennett and grouched at by Lydia, who had been ordered to stop the slide show of her trip to Italy, Fanny turned towards Jane and said, "Well my dear, what's the news."  
Jane blushed heavily, to Elizabeth's delight. "Charles and I are engaged."  
Immediately there were loud exclamations of joy and badgering questions of how it happened. With a lot of stopping and starting Jane managed to tell the story. Charles apparently had been planning to ask her a while, but never could figure out how to do it. Finally he had this whole romantic evening planned and a speech prepared, but he plans were thwarted by… himself. He had thought it a good idea to have the ring with him at all time, so when they were doing groceries the night before, he grabbed his wallet and the ring came with it. According to Jane there was a very tense moment, where she thought he might back out, but good old Charles just proposed there on the spot, to the delight of everyone.  
It turned out very favorable too, because the manager gave them their groceries as an engagement present on the house.

"Awww, that's so romantic!" Fanny said, "I mean, it would've been great if his plans had worked out, but this is really the better story."  
Elizabeth shared a look with her father, but didn't dare comment.  
"So can I be your maid of honour?" Lydia asked eagerly. Jane turned to her younger sister with a serene smile, "Lizzy is already going to be the maid of honour, but we really want you as a bridesmaid."  
Lydia grinned, "Good, I'm terrible at organizing things."

Fanny got up, "So are you girls staying for dinner? What am I asking, of course you are!"  
She looked pensively at Nick. "We can't serve just salad and sandwiches now."  
Jane's eyes grew wide, because she saw where this was going. "I really rather would eat at home, mom."  
Fanny frowned and said, "Fine, but I'm throwing you and Charles an engagement party."  
Jane just sighed. This was really the best outcome she could hope for.

* * *

After dinner, Lizzy had offered to do the dishes, which she was now regretting. Her parents' house was built somewhere in the 19th century and an official monument, which meant that the kitchen was outfitted with counters that were meant for people a good head shorter than she was and no way to replace them. Her back was twinging from all the odd bending over she had to do.  
Outside there was talking and laughter. The family had relocated to the yard. The day was too nice to be spent inside.

Jane had offered to dry, but Lizzy had said she was the guest of honour at this gathering and secretly, she really needed a couple of minutes for herself. The hangover, now reduced to vague unwellness because of a lack of sleep, made her snippy and a few minutes alone to recharge couldn't hurt. Except, that her back now added to the vague unwellness.

The kitchen door swung open and Fanny bustled in. She put on the kettle, then looked at the clean dishes and immediately started, drying them and putting them away. When it came to housework Fanny was a machine. Elizabeth tried to help, once the dishes were done, but Fanny waved her away and said, "Sit, sit," so she could nothing but obey.

"So how are you doing? You look a bit peaky."  
Elizabeth shrugged. "Just not feeling great."  
"Hangover?"  
"Mom!"  
Fanny laughed and put the cups in the cabinet. "You're 26. You're allowed to have a hangover."  
Elizabeth buried her hands in her face. "I know, but you're not allowed to ask about it."

"But it's good."  
"Or allowed to rejoice in it."  
Fanny sat down across from her daughter. "I get to do whatever I want. You know I'm always happy when you go do something fun."  
Elizabeth had now rested her weary head on the kitchen table and said with a muffled voice, "I do fun things all the time."  
Fanny stroked her daughter's head. "I know, but it's always a worry of mine that you don't do it enough. Especially now that Jane's getting married. She might not have as much time for you."  
Elizabeth looked up, annoyed, "It's not like it will change anything. Charles and her are practically married already."

Fanny just stared pleasantly at her daughter, until Elizabeth's head sagged back to the table. "Oh."  
"I just worry about your support system." It was the age old discussion. Fanny was always scared her daughters were going to end up a lone. Her fear was especially projected onto Elizabeth, who knew a lot of people, but rarely made any actual friends. Elizabeth insisted that Jane and Lottie were enough. Really befriending other people was just a hassle.

"You should hang out with Charles' friend, Will. He seems very handsome and I've only heard good things."  
Elizabeth sat up straight. "No, I met him yesterday. He was a jerk."  
Fanny frowned when Lizzy told the story. She was momentarily distracted by the kettle clicking off, but as she was pouring the hot water in a pot she said, "Well that just won't do. But promise me you will keep your eyes open."  
Elizabeth promised, but she didn't promise she would actually make a new friend.

* * *

 _A/N: Thanks for reading!_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N:_ _Thank you so much again for the follows and the comments! I'm also really glad people seem to like my Mrs. Bennet. I'm going to be perfectly honest, I was a bit unsure about my characterization of her, because I have many complicated feelings concerning Mrs. Bennet. Not to worry though, she will still be plenty embarrassing, but in her own way._

 _Once more with feeling: Unbetaed, you know the drill._

 _On with the show!_

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Will liked to think he wasn't a procrastinator, but the day after the engagement announcement he was procrastinating hard. When he woke up he felt terrible and he immediately decided he wasn't going to do anything about the Elizabeth Bennet situation today, because it would all come out wrong and it would only make the problem bigger.

Instead he decided to try to lure his little sister into watching movies with him.  
Gia pulled a face, when he asked. "You've been trying to get me to go outside for the past 5 weeks and now you just want to play couch potato?"  
Will tried to look innocent and shrugged. "Being a couch potato is good for you?"  
She leaned over the kitchen table between them and looked at him intently. He squirmed a little, but tried not to look away. Finally, she said, "Fine, but I get to pick the movies."

This is how Will ended up watching various action movies from the 80's. He always wondered about that weird quirk of hers, because 1) they were terrible and 2) she was born on the cusp of the millennium. There was a whole other decade that was closer to her to obsess over.  
Gia had once explained that the 80's were a wonderous time of terrible storytelling and campiness, which made for great entertainment. When he asked her why she didn't watch 'good movies', she called him an antediluvian and told him to let it go.

Somewhere in the late afternoon, during the climax of Flash Gordon, Will's phone rang. Gia let out a 'tsk' and rolled her eyes at him. Will stuck his tongue out and went to answer it in the hallway.  
"Do you want me to pause it for you?"  
He shook his head. "Nah, I think I'm good."  
"Ming is about to be impaled on Flash's space ship, though."  
"Your call."  
The movie was paused. Clearly he couldn't miss such an important moment.

He answered the phone. Before he could say anything he heard Charles yell, "YOU CALLED LIZZY A WHAT?!"  
Will held the phone a few centimeters away from his ear. Then he said, "Good afternoon to you too."  
"Are you crazy? That's my fiancee's sister! What were you thinking?" Charles' tone was so accusatory that it made Will cringe.  
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking and I've spoken to Rick since, who explained everything. I was working under some serious misinformation and I'm going to rectify it."  
"Okay… good." Apparently Charles immediately lost steam. "I'll send you her number. Please don't ever do this again. You're supposed to be the rational polite one in our partnership."

Will rubbed a hand over his face and hair. "I know. I really messed up. I don't know what came over me."  
Charles was silent for a moment. Then he said, "You have met her before right?"  
"Yes."  
"Then I have a few guesses," he chuckled. Will felt himself turn red and was very grateful Charles couldn't see him.  
"Get your mind out of the gutter," Will snipped.  
Charles laughed out loud and said, "Fine, I'll stop poking you Mr. Bear. I'll text you her number and then you're going to call her asap."

"Yes, yes," Will acceded. "Have a nice evening."

Gia was stretched out on the couch, scrolling through her phone, trying to look as casual as possible, when Will came back into the room.  
"Let me guess, you were eavesdropping?" He sat down on the edge, lifted up her feet, scooted over a little and put them in his lap.  
"What did you mess up?" His little sister was never great at pretense.  
"Meeting Jane's sister." He admitted staring his hands.

"That's Charles' girlfriend right? The one he just got engaged to?" Gia pulled herself into a vague sitting position, mostly leaning on her arms.  
"The very one. Turns out her sister is Elizabeth Bennet."  
Gia bit her lip. She had met Rick's ex-girlfriend a few times and she knew that after their break up Will had been livid at Lizzy. Gia never bothered to figure out the details. She'd been 12 when she last saw the lady.

Without any prompting, he told Gia the g-rated version of what happened. Instead of looking shocked or even appalled she just chuckled and let herself fall down. "That is so like you."  
Will was rather offended at that. "How so?"  
"You mean well, but sometimes you're a bit blinded by your own emotions." Gia sat up and crawled over to him. She sweetly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned her head against his.  
Will smiled. "I guess that's fair."  
Gia smiled too. "And all is not lost. You will call her and apologize and then you two can move on."  
She let go off him and reached for the remote. "But first we have to watch this idiotic suicide of Ming."

* * *

Will didn't call her until early afternoon that Sunday. He hadn't forgotten about it, especially after Gia had made some pointed comments, but he had told himself that a little cooling off and some distance would do Elizabeth and him both some good.

He had settled in his office and after looking at his emails, he finally felt fortified enough to try and call. It took a few rings for her to pick.  
"This is Elizabeth Bennet," she said in a rather curt voice. In the background he could hear some weird warbled noises. He nearly lost the nerve to say anything, but Will reminded himself he was a polite and rational gentleman with a steel spine.  
"Uhm, good afternoon, this is Will Darcy."  
"Oh hey." She sounded a bit more dismayed. He was seriously starting to wonder if this was a good idea. Before he could say anything though, there was a loud 'OW FUCK! NOT MY SHOE' and some more warbling. "Sorry, I'm going to have to call you back."  
Once the call was disconnected, he stared at his phone bemused. Will honestly didn't know what to make of it.

He was in the kitchen making a sandwich when his phone rang.  
Immediately Elizabeth said, "I'm so sorry about all that. I was feeding the chickens and I thought I could multi-task but one of the beasties decided to peck my shoe and I was wearing inadequate footwear."  
Will was at a loss for words. "Uh, it's fine?"

"Okay great!" She was sounding a lot more chipper, that encouraged him.  
"The reason I called was to see if you were free for a drink. I want to apologise and talk about what happened Friday."  
"Oh," She sounded taken a back. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing. "Uh, yeah sure."  
"Around 3 at the Java Lamp?" He added innocently. He really wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.  
"Can we make it 4? I need to go home first to shower and change." Something dawned on Will. "You're on a farm."  
"I thought the chickens were a big give away," Elizabeth said. He imagined she was smiling.  
"I somehow hadn't put two and two together," he offered lamely. Then he said, "So do you know where it is?"

"It's the coffee place near the, ahem, Santa Claus statue?"  
Now it was his turn to smile. "Uh yeah."  
"Okidoki, see you in a bit!"  
Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.

* * *

Will arrived 15 minutes early to find that Elizabeth was just walking up. She was wearing a red summer dress with what looked like a Hawaiian print, but on closer inspection turned out to be Japanese cherry blossoms. He wasn't sure if he liked it, but it definitely suited her.

They stood across from each other a little awkwardly in front of the door of the coffee house. Will rubbed the back of his head and said, "Uh, so, do you want to get a seat, while I go get our drinks?"  
Elizabeth looked around and nodded at the grouping of tables next to a giant statue. "Sure, you can find me over there."  
She dug into her messenger bag for her wallet. He waved her off. "Let me pay. You know, as part of the apology."  
Elizabeth pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes for a moment, "Fine, I'd like a lemonade please."  
Then she strode off to a table. Will was wrong. This was very uncomfortable.

The line inside the coffee house was blessedly short. While he had been waiting on his order, he had made up his mind. He was going to apologize to her, drink his coffee and get out. There was no need for extended band aid removal.

About 10 minutes later Will was sitting across from her. Elizabeth nodded at him as he handed her the lemonade. He then ripped open a little bag of sugar and poured it in his coffee. Her eyebrows rose.  
He frowned, "What?"  
She shrugged and took a sip of her lemonade, but didn't say anything.  
Will sighed, annoyed now. "What is it?"  
Elizabeth put the glass down carefully and smoothed a wrinkle out of her skirt with a chuckle. "Nothing, I just thought you drank your coffee black."

He frowned. "Why?"  
Now it was her turn to shrug. "You just seem like that kind of person."  
He rubbed his forehead and began to stir his coffee. When Will looked at her, she was smiling serenely. He clenched his fists once and said, "I wanted to apologize."  
Elizabeth nodded and took another sip of her drink. When he didn't continue she stared with expectantly. He realized she was going to let him muddle through it, probably even after it satisfied her and that relaxed him somewhat. He would've done the same thing.

Will rubbed his thumb over his index finger. "I am very sorry for what happened on Friday. I was completely out of line with what I said. I didn't know the situation. And then against my better judgement I got drunk and my, uhm, emotions got the best of me. I also want you to know that I talked to Rick, who explained everything to me and he told me to promise you that I wouldn't hold grudges anymore on behalf of other people…."  
Elizabeth was staring at him, with an amused smile on her face. Will decided to push through, "So I hereby promise I won't hold grudges anymore on behalf of other people."

She still wasn't saying anything and it was getting on his nerves. "The end."  
She chuckled and said, "Apology accepted. And for what it's worth, I apologize for accosting you in a club."  
Will shrugged. "It was warranted."  
He finally took a sip of his coffee. Mixed with sugar it was just on the right side of bitter, just how he liked it.

They sat in silence for a minute. Will wondered if he should make conversation. He didn't know what about. This situation was so weird.  
Finally Elizabeth said, "How's Gia?"  
He was kind of amazed at the fact she remembered he even had a sister, but decided not to comment. "She's good, she's home from college at the moment."

It turned into a pretty pleasant conversation and Will thought they might be on much better footing now. However, as soon as Elizabeth finished her drink, she got up. "Well, thanks for the apology. I'll see you soon."  
He barely had time to say anything in return, before she walked away.

* * *

 _A/N: Thanks for reading!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I can't believe this story now has +100 followers. That's crazy to me. Thank you so much! And of course many thanks for the lovely reviews, I really appreciate it :D I want to do something extra for you guys, like a behind the scenes or some scenes that take place about 6 years ago, but I think I'll save that for a little later in the story. I would like to know your thoughts on that though._

 _This chapter was a bit of a toughy. I know roughly where I want the story to go and I have all the big moments written out, but so much has to happen in between those moments, that I'm trying to come up with now. It took me three tries, but I'm rather happy with what I landed on._

 _As always: unbetaed_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

"I don't want to goooo."  
It was almost two weeks after the 'Darcy Incident' and Elizabeth, like a mature individual, was lying face down on the couch. Lottie, in the duty of best friend, was sitting in a comfortable arm chair with a cup of tea. "How will Blanket survive without me?"  
The cat was lying in one of the bookcases for some shade, sleeping contentedly. Lottie raised an eyebrow. "I think I can handle that needy monster for a week."  
Elizabeth turned her head to glare at her friend. "It's going to be awful."

"Jesus Lizzy, you're complaining about going on holiday. Get some perspective." Lottie sipped her tea.  
Elizabeth had to admit that she did sound like a very spoiled child. She didn't like it. It was all stupid Mr. Darcy's fault. She sat up. "You're right, I sound like a brat. I mean, I'm going away for like a week to a beach house with Jane. That's fun!"  
She tried to smile, but honestly she didn't feel it. The whole Darcy thing still didn't sit well with her and of course, surprise: he was going to be there! Jane had explained his sister was going back to college early, so now Mr. Darcy had some free time. Of course, because Charlie was a golden angel boy, he immediately invited his friend and Jane was very supportive of the idea. When Elizabeth had objected lightly Jane had said, "But wouldn't that be a great way to reacquaint yourselves?"  
Stupid Jane and her stupid, thoughtful ideas.

"Promise me you won't be mean to him? Or Caroline for that matter?" Lottie asked.  
"I will try my very best to be nice to them both," Elizabeth muttered over her water glass.  
Lottie squinted at her. "How? Oh no, you're going to just out right avoid them, aren't you?"  
Elizabeth gasped, feeling a little insulted. "No! I am just going to subtly be in other places when I can."  
"Lizzy…"  
"Just be glad I'm not planning on crawling under tables or hiding behind drapes."  
Lottie chuckled and shook her head. "Fine, fine. What time are you leaving tomorrow?"  
"Jane and Charles are coming to pick me up around 9."

Lottie looked at her watch. "Then I think it's time Blanket and I bid you adieu."  
Elizabeth nodded and got her pet carrier out of a hallway closet. She set it gently down behind the couch and made her way over to Blanket, who was miraculously still fast asleep. She gently picked him up and cuddled him close. The cat started purring. "Have a good week, buddy. See you soon."

* * *

It was early afternoon when the three weary travelers arrived at the beach house. Elizabeth jumped out of the car. Since it had only been a three hour drive, they had forgone all stops and now her legs were cramping up a little. So she stood next to the car and took in the house. It was rather large, although it only had two stories and if the front drive was anything to go by, the entire property was massive. The walls were a cheery white and aside from some paving there were a lot of indigenous plants surrounding the place.

Charles stood next to her and looked around too. "My parents don't have any green thumbs, so they decided to just leave it. It drives Caro nuts."  
Elizabeth smiled at that news and turned to the trunk to get her bags out. Behind her she heard the front door open. "Charles, Jane! You made it!"  
She turned around and saw Caroline in the door opening. "Good lord, Eliza, what happened to you?"  
Elizabeth looked at the scratches on her arms and legs. "Oh, haven't you heard? I recently started as a wolverine wrangler."

Caroline seemed to decide to let that comment go and turned to her brother asking him if he had a good drive, as everyone carried their luggage inside. They were deposited into a small hallway with a staircase, but Caroline immediately shuffled them into the rest of the house. The living room turned out to be a large space, with a sitting area at one end and a kitchen at the other end. In between was a large table and a big glass door that led to the backyard. Beyond the trees, Elizabeth could spy the sea. Hope grew that this week might not be so bad after all.

"Are you hungry? I done the groceries yet, but there is some leftover salad," Caroline offered. Charles smiled and said, "Thanks sis, but we ate in the car."  
Both Jane and Elizabeth breathed a soft sigh of relief. Caroline was a woman of many talents, but pairing vegetables wasn't one of them.  
Caroline waved a hand. "No matter. You should go freshen up."

Jane and Charles picked up their bags again and moved to the hallway. Elizabeth went to follow them, but Caroline stopped her. "You're in one of the guest bedrooms. Follow me."  
Elizabeth frowned, but did as she was told. Caroline led her past the kitchen to one of the three doors. "Here we are."  
The room was small, with a dresser squashed in it, but it was cozily decorated in blue and yellow.  
"I'll let you get settled."  
Elizabeth closed the door, but she could clearly hear Caroline's flip flops outside. She rolled her eyes and shrugged, and began to unpack.

Half an hour later there was a knock on her door, which had become totally irrelevant, because Elizabeth could follow the exact trajectory they were taking. "Come in."  
Jane cautiously opened the door and peered inside. "This is rather… cozy."  
Elizabeth looked up from her book and smiled. "It'll do. How many room are upstairs anyway?"  
"Three. I'm assuming she's saving the third one for Will. If you want I can talk to her, since Will was a last minute addition anyway."  
Elizabeth quickly mapped out how that situation would end up and said, "Don't worry. This is fine."

Jane smiled and sat down next to her on the bed. "So what do you want to do this week?"  
"Eat, sleep, go to the beach, read this entire stack of books," she nodded to her nightstand, "and of course spend time with you and Charles."  
Jane grinned and said, "I think we can do that. But you have to promise to be at least a little social."  
Elizabeth gasped in mock-outrage. "I am always social."  
Jane sighed, "Fine, at least be nice."  
Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her sister. "Only because it's you asking."  
They talked a bit more about the week ahead and then Jane, by being Jane, managed to lure Elizabeth out of the house to go do groceries.

* * *

The sand was soft on her feet. Elizabeth closed her eyes and dug her toes in. She was about to return to the house, but she wanted to relish these moments alone a little longer. Elizabeth wondered if Mr. Darcy had arrived yet. Jane had said that he would be there some time after dinner. Apparently he had to put some time in at his office. She tried to remember what his job was, but she was grasping at straws. Well done, Lizzy.

She stared out over the water for a little bit longer, trying to steel her resolve to be a nice and sociable person. Jane was really happy she had come along. And so was Charles. A 50% success rate would have to do. Elizabeth turned around and walked to the house. She wiped most of the sand off of her feet and put on her flip flops, before she went through the garden gate.

Jane, Charles and Caroline were all seated around a table enthusiastically talking at Darcy. He didn't seem to be very responsive. Elizabeth took a deep breath and walked up. This was the test, "Good evening, nice to see you."  
Darcy looked up and nodded at her, but expression was pained. Elizabeth tried not to let it bother her. "How was your drive?"  
"Good." She had tried. Minimally, but she had tried nonetheless.  
Elizabeth turned to the rest. "I'm getting some wine. Do you guys want anything?"  
Jane smiled and said, "No, we're fine."

When Elizabeth came back she sat down and leaned back. She was sitting across from Mr. Darcy, but after that display from early, she decided to leave the niceties for a later time.  
"So, uhm, how are you?"  
She looked up, mildly startled. He was staring directly at her. "I am fine?"  
"Are you sure?" His eyes had traveled to her arms and he was frowning.  
"Uh yeah, I just had a little bit of trouble getting my cat into his carrier. Normally I can con him into it, but yesterday he really didn't want to go." Elizabeth rubbed a hand over her arm, feeling a little self-conscious.

"Oh." He turned his head to listen to what Charles was saying.  
Elizabeth sagged back in her chair and took a gulp of wine. She started again when Jane whispered in her ear, "Thanks for trying."  
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but smiled despite herself. When she looked up, she quickly saw Darcy turn his head.

* * *

It really wasn't as bad as Elizabeth had made it out to be to Lottie. They were both cordial, if a little evasive. They both dutifully participated in group activities, like games and going out. Elizabeth even had spotted Mr. Darcy smiling and telling jokes to both Jane and Charles.  
On the Caroline front it was about the same, expect there was a lot more animosity below the surface. Elizabeth didn't exactly know why. Jane had once mentioned that it was because they were a lot alike, but she didn't think so.

However, everyone was on their best behavior and as a group they were having a pretty nice time. Elizabeth didn't even mind sleeping in the tiny guest bedroom. She was up first most of the time anyway and if she wasn't she could sleep through anything. Take that Caroline.

On the third night, Caroline, Charles and Jane were playing Uno, while Elizabeth was on the couch with one of her books, while Mr. Darcy was on the other one with his phone in hand.  
Elizabeth had no idea what was going on, until Caroline towered over them. "You should join us!"  
"Yeah, nerds, come be fun," Charles added with a wide grin.

Elizabeth looked over to Darcy who was looking rather annoyed. "I'm texting with Gia. I'll join for the next round."  
Caroline grinned wide, "How is she? Is she settling in okay? Tell her I said hi."  
"You have her phone number, tell her yourself."  
"Will you join, Lizzy?" Jane asked from the table.

Elizabeth was about to open her mouth, but Caroline had already turned away, saying, rather dismissively, "She's far too busy reading."  
With a sigh, Elizabeth said, "I can play a game, Caro. You've seen me do it, rather spectacularly if I say so myself."  
Charles, deaf to the mood in the room, asked pleasantly, "What are you reading?"  
"A non-fiction about women who enriched uranium for atomic bombs during World War 2," Elizabeth said, putting the book down.  
"That sounds swell," Caroline said, sarcasm dripping off her every word. Elizabeth rolled her eyes.  
"I think it sounds fascinating," Charles responded lightly.

"How do you like it?"  
Elizabeth turned. Darcy was looking at her with his same intense stare. She felt blood rise to her cheeks. "I think it's interesting. I'm only about 50 pages in so I don't have a clear opinion just yet."  
He nodded and turned back to his phone.  
"Did you read it?" She was really trying again.  
He looked up and frowned for a moment. Elizabeth wondered if she should repeat the question, but he said, "I have."  
"And?"  
"The subject matter is interesting, but I didn't think it was well executed. It stayed rather on the surface and I feel like I never got to know any of them."  
Elizabeth nodded. It was a valid opinion and she decided that that was enough. She got up and joined the rest at the table.

"It's crazy what women used to have to do in order to be declared successful," Charles said as he started shuffling the cards.  
"Women still have a list that society feels they have to live up to, dear," Jane said with a smile. He smiled back, almost automatically. Elizabeth grinned to herself.  
"Not just society, I know some people personally who have such a list, filled with impossible standards," Caroline said with an eye on Darcy. He looked up and glared at her.  
"Like I'm the only one. Tell them about your ideal woman Caroline."

Caroline complied with gusto, going into looks, style, career ambitions, hobbies, political leanings and many more standards. When she finished, she said, "Isn't that about right for you too, Will?"  
"Well, she also needs to be cultured, kind, and funny."  
Elizabeth tried not to laugh out loud, but a chuckle escaped her, despite her best efforts. Everyone in the room looked at her.  
Finally she said, "It's amazing that both of you can find anyone to date."

Caroline narrowed her eyes. "I don't know the people who young hang out with, Eliza, but the people in my friend group are of a higher standard."  
Elizabeth shrugged. "I'm just saying that maybe you two should be more flexible."

There was a heavy silence in the room that was broken when Caroline got up abruptly. "I'm going to bed."  
Charles looked disappointed, "You really don't want to play anymore?"  
Caroline shook her head, said a curt 'good night' and fled into the hallway. Elizabeth tried not to notice the glare from Jane. Darcy, unsurprisingly had returned to his phone. The mood was effectively ruined.  
Luckily, tomorrow there was another day.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading!_


End file.
